Made It!!

After about 25 hours of flight/travel I am in Australia!!!

My flight from LAX to Sydney was on V Australia---aka my new favorite airline. The walls at the check in counter were painted pink with blue LED lights illuminating the V Australia sign, and there was some rocking disco music playing. Everyone at the counter was smiling and polite, and made a great first impression for Australia, at least in my mind. Upon boarding the plane, the same awesome music was playing, the same blue LED lights lit the aisles, and the seats were big and comfy. The blankets were plush, the meals were delicious, and the first glass of alcohol with dinner was complimentary. Swank. I felt like a rock star. And I flew economy. Plus, the in flight safety videos were absolutely hilarious and totally casual, and full of Aussie laid back humor. Loved it!

Amy was able to meet me at the airport in Brisbane, after my connecting flight from Sydney. She drove me home, after I tried to get in the driver's side of the car- even after extensive time spent in England- its all backwards! She brought me to her house, where I got to meet her family, and then we set off for a walk. Although it looked really chilly out because it was so overcast, it was hot, balmy and humid- weather I love :) We walked barefoot up and down the river banks before catching a train into Brisbane. There, we checked out the man made beach and caught the City Cay, a river ferry, up the river. We got off and played around on one of the coolest playgrounds I have ever seen- with a 50 ft climbing rope structure that would be considered a MASSIVE liability risk in America (I'm pretty sure a 5 year old outclimbed me). From there, we trekked all the way back into the heart of the city, where Amy's dad met us after work and gave us a lift home.

Tomorrow we are off to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, one of the top 10 zoos in the world, according to AOL. In case you were wondering, "Koala" is an aboriginal word meaning "no drink," as koalas rarely come down to the ground for water, getting instead from the eucalyptus leaves that they eat.